Establishing Operations

An establishing operation is an event that momentarily alters the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus. For example, drinking water after eating salty food. The salty food momentarily increased the reinforcing effectiveness of the water.

Deprivation can also be an establishing operation that momentarily alters the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimuli.  For example, when cookies no longer strengthen behavior because of satiation, parents can place the cookies under deprivation by not giving them to the child for a period of time.  Placing the cookies under deprivation will increase the reinforcing effectiveness of the cookies.